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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. chip — for betting
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mark — a trace
  12. chip — to eat
  13. bulb — for light
  14. capital — a city
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ball — a dance
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. capital — money
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com